


Field Trip

by helens78, reena_jenkins



Series: Field Trips Are Awesome [2]
Category: X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Adorable, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Audio Format: Streaming, Baby Mutants, Bad Flirting, Cell Phones, F/M, Field Trip, Flirting with Science, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Meet-Cute, Mistaken Identity, Multimedia, Museums, Podfic, Romantic Comedy, Science, Summer Camp, Texting, X-Men Reverse Big Bang Challenge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-04
Updated: 2013-09-04
Packaged: 2017-12-25 00:38:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/946610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/helens78/pseuds/helens78, https://archiveofourown.org/users/reena_jenkins/pseuds/reena_jenkins
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The American Museum of Natural History is the best museum in the world.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. School Group Check-In

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [American Museum of Natural History AU](https://archiveofourown.org/works/948615) by [reena_jenkins](https://archiveofourown.org/users/reena_jenkins/pseuds/reena_jenkins). 



 

[Download Charles's voice mail [here](http://reena.parakaproductions.com/coverart/AMNH%20AU/Audio%20Excerpts/Field%20Trip%20Excerpts%20-%20Charles'%20voicemail.mp3). (00:01:04, 1 MB)]

* * *

**Audioguide: Exhibit 2403A -- _Lehnsherr, Erik Magnus_**

[[Transcription of audioguide Exhibit 2403A here.](946817/chapters/1849019) Download Exhibit 2403A [here](http://reena.parakaproductions.com/coverart/AMNH%20AU/Audio%20Excerpts/Field%20Trip%20Excerpts%20-%20Exhibit%202403A.mp3). (00:00:36, 563 KB)]

* * *

As a general rule, Erik Lehnsherr kept his voice mailbox empty. Most of the calls he received were hardly worth the trouble of taking down the caller's name and phone number. He was no one's errand boy, and he was certainly not going to 'call in a favor' and arrange with Dr. Frost to get some wealthy socialite and his brainless model-of-the-week a private showing of the Hall of Gems. If someone wanted Erik's expertise on meteorites and elemental metals, that was different, but for the most part, his voice mail tended to fill with requests for departments tangentially related to his own.

It was as if people these days didn't give a damn about space, about exploration, about the base components of matter itself. The Space Science Institute had had to cheapen their brilliant traveling exhibition on comets, asteroids, and meteors by naming it "Great Balls Of Fire!" -- complete with exclamation mark -- and littering it with touchscreen monitors.

He was a bit surprised to see his voice mail light blinking when he walked into his office on a warm Thursday afternoon, and as he began sorting through his email, he put the voice mail on speakerphone.

"Er.... oh! Is this recording? This is Charles Xavier."

Charles Xavier. Erik paused a moment, trying to recall the name. It seemed familiar for some reason, and the English accent was... memorable. Perhaps he'd met Mr. Xavier... no, Dr. Xavier, that seemed more accurate... at a conference somewhere. Oxford?

"I'm interested in arranging a visit to the American Museum of Natural History for a large group, only I'm not sure I've reached the right extension.... your menu is very confusing, I must say."

Damn. Wrong extension. Erik sighed and sent four emails directly to the trash. With the advanced voice mail system they had here, Erik supposed he could forward the email along to the information desk, although Dr. Xavier wasn't wrong about the confusing nature of the voice mail menus. The last time Erik had tried to do something nice for someone, he'd ended up ruining a surprise party.

"Well, in the hopes that I've reached the right voicemail after all, I should probably leave my contact information. Again, my name is Charles Xavier, and I'm looking to book a visit to the museum for our summer program at the Xavier Institute for Gifted Students."

 _Gifted Students_ \-- Erik sat bolt upright and stared at the phone. He _had_ heard the name Charles Xavier before; he'd heard of that school.

He wasn't holding his breath waiting for the message to continue, but his email remained unviolated, forgotten, while Erik listened carefully for Dr. Xavier's voice on the other end of that voice mail.

"There would be approximately 15 or 20 students in the group, they are... the usual handful, and then a bit more, I might say..."

Erik smiled, and took no notice of the intern who paused at the threshold of Erik's office door... and then, having seen Erik's teeth showing, kept walking, a shiver traveling down his spine. Yes, Erik could easily see how Dr. Xavier's gifted students could be a handful, "and a bit more". Fifteen or twenty! Erik's smile grew wider.

"...and we'd be traveling into the city from Westchester. I'm assuming the children would need to bring their own lunches, but if there was any way we could arrange to have a docent accompany our group, that would be wonderful. Um, what else? Oh! You can reach me..."

Erik jotted down Dr. Xavier's number-- his home number? Work number? His personal cell phone? No matter, he'd have no difficulty getting in touch with the man. The Xavier Institute For Gifted Students was bookmarked on Erik's browser, on his phone as well as on his personal laptop; he'd done a great deal of research on the school, although he'd never managed to secure a tour there. Not that it mattered; Erik didn't have children himself, though he'd always thought of that as a _not yet_ and not a _not ever_. The Xavier Institute accepted children as young as six years old, and Erik had little doubt that any children of his would be precocious; perhaps they'd be able to attend at the age of five or even four.

Certainly the Xavier Institute's website was a bit on the ingratiating side, and far more closeted than Erik would have preferred-- an out-and-proud website would have suited him, and should he ever have children there, he'd make a point of demanding exactly that-- but of all the schools catering to the particular special needs Erik expected his own children to have, there were none with a stronger reputation, and Erik had always intended to meet Dr. Xavier himself. He'd heard good things.

Of course, none of those good things included Dr. Xavier's pleasantly seductive voice, cultured with a hint of good humor...

Well. Erik was no docent, but there was no one at AMNH more qualified to greet and guide Dr. Xavier's students than he was. He was sure that Dr. Xavier would agree.


	2. Hall of Small Mammals

[Download Emma's voice mail [here](http://reena.parakaproductions.com/coverart/AMNH%20AU/Audio%20Excerpts/Field%20Trip%20Excerpts%20-%20Emma's%20voicemail.mp3). (00:00:43, 679 KB)]

* * *

[Download Erik's voice mail response [here](http://reena.parakaproductions.com/coverart/AMNH%20AU/Audio%20Excerpts/Field%20Trip%20Excerpts%20-%20Erik's%20voicemail.mp3). (00:00:10, 168 KB)]

* * *

[Download Charles, Ororo, Jean, and Scott's arrival [here](http://reena.parakaproductions.com/coverart/AMNH%20AU/Audio%20Excerpts/Field%20Trip%20Excerpts%20-%20arrival%20at%20the%20subway.mp3). (00:00:28, 447 KB)]

* * *

**Audioguide: Exhibit 9284 -- _Mutandis Westchesteris_**

[[Transcription of audioguide Exhibit 9284 ](http://archiveofourown.org/works/946817/chapters/1849030)[here](http://reena.parakaproductions.com/coverart/AMNH%20AU/Audio%20Excerpts/Field%20Trip%20Excerpts%20-%20Exhibit%209284.mp3). Download Exhibit 9284 [here](http://reena.parakaproductions.com/coverart/AMNH%20AU/Audio%20Excerpts/Field%20Trip%20Excerpts%20-%20Exhibit%209284.mp3). (00:00:58, 911 KB)]

* * *

There were seventeen youngsters, three of whom had clearly been designated as leaders of their groups; one young man with a pair of red sunglasses tight against his temples, one young woman with dark skin and white hair, and another young woman with long red hair who seemed glued to her mobile phone. The younger students included no one with an obvious physical mutation, unless the white-haired young woman's hair color was natural. In New York City, it was impossible to know for certain.

Still, there were enough of them to draw the eye, and their leader was distinctive in his own right. The one adult with the group was dark-haired, handsome, and using a wheelchair to navigate the museum. Somehow Erik hadn't realized that Dr. Xavier was disabled-- not that it mattered. On a practical level, the AMNH was fully-accessible; all exhibits were easily manageable regardless of mobility impairments.

On a personal level, Dr. Xavier was stunning.

 _Steady, Lehnsherr,_ Erik told himself sternly. _You're here to visit with the younger mutants and make connections... and not that sort of connection._

 _Pity_ , a part of his mind replied. He strode over to the group and headed for Dr. Xavier, offering his hand.

"Dr. Xavier, I presume. I'm Dr. Erik Lehnsherr."

Dr. Xavier looked up at Erik and smiled broadly, taking Erik's hand in his. To Erik's surprise, he felt leather against his palm; another look at Dr. Xavier's hand revealed that he was wearing leather-padded half-gloves, dark navy on the back of the hand, bright yellow at the palm. Combined with his navy blue polo shirt-- complete with a yellow crest on the front: one with an X, circled, and the school's name below it-- it made him look like a sports trainer of some kind.

Erik could certainly think of some training he'd like to indulge in... and there he went again, acting as though they were two mutants who'd walked into a bar together, and not two mutants meeting to chaperone a school field trip.

"I am indeed Charles Xavier," Xavier said, "and really, too many doctors spoil the broth, I've always thought."

"I thought that was cooks."

"Doctors aren't very good in the kitchen, either," Xavier said, still smiling. "Why don't you call me 'Charles'?"

"Then by all means-- I'm Erik," Erik said, and Xavier-- _Charles_ \-- slowly drew his hand away, his fingertips skating across the inside of Erik's palm. "This would be your group, then?"

"Yes, indeed," Charles said, gesturing to the young redhead who was still poking away at her cell phone, exchanging smirks with the white-haired teen. " _On her mobile_ is Jean--" Jean looked up and quickly pocketed her phone. She waved briefly at Erik before glancing around at the children and nodding. "And our other summer camp counselors are Ororo, there," naming the white-haired mutant, "and Scott, just here," the young man with the glasses. "As for the others, it's really too many names to remember--"

"But let's have them anyway," Erik said. He nodded to each young mutant in turn as Charles introduced them-- _Sean, Alex, Armando, Angel, Raven, Warren, Henry, Kitty, Peter, Kurt, Marie, Bobby_ \-- and though Erik suspected Charles was right, that he'd never remember all those names, he did wonder what each of the children could do. He'd be far more likely to remember mutations than names.

Still. With the Xavier Institute's low-key approach to openness about mutations, Erik supposed he couldn't expect a full-out demonstration upon first meeting them. Instead, he stepped to the front of the group, and said, "The first exhibit I'd like to show you is in the Hall of Biodiversity."

Charles looked at Erik again, one eyebrow raised, and Erik returned that look with a smile of his own. As Charles brought up the rear of the group, Erik walked onward. If any group deserved an in-depth, _proud_ look at the Hall of Biodiversity, it was certainly this one.


	3. Hall of Biodiversity

[[Transcript of text messages here.](http://archiveofourown.org/works/946904/chapters/1849217)]

* * *

**Audioguide: Exhibit 2403B -- _Xavier, Charles Francis_**

[[Transcription of audioguide Exhibit 2403B here.](http://archiveofourown.org/works/946817/chapters/1849034) Download Exhibit 2403B [here](http://reena.parakaproductions.com/coverart/AMNH%20AU/Audio%20Excerpts/Field%20Trip%20Excerpts%20-%20Exhibit%202403B.mp3). (00:00:47, 731KB)]

* * *

It was probably just as well that Charles was at the rear of the group, helping Jean and Scott supervise those students who were inclined to whisper amongst themselves. Erik had already noticed Alex exchanging friendly shoves with two of his friends, and hoped that none of the three had explosive mutations. The young mutant named Kurt was quite fidgety, having spent much of the tour so far poking and prodding at a very large wristwatch he was wearing; it might have been some sort of smartphone, for all Erik knew. He'd never seen anything like it.

They'd started with the Hall of Biodiversity, almost always a favorite for middle-school aged children. Erik himself didn't truly think that The Spectrum of Life and its walls of various species held a candle to the Hall of Meteorites, but they'd get to his area of expertise eventually. He did get to point out his favorites, at least-- several different sharks suspended from the ceiling.

"I'm more partial to the whales," Charles admitted, when Erik caught up to him; Erik had had worksheets printed out, ones the museum kept on hand in order to... well, Erik wasn't entirely sure. Enhance their ability to find minutiae, perhaps. Right now, Erik was pleased that it had given him an opportunity to speak one-on-one with Charles.

"Whales? Hmm," Erik said, trying to come up with a good way to explain that whales were far too sedate, by-and-large, to hold his interest.

"Yes, especially the blue whale-- I hope we'll have a chance to swing by the Hall of Ocean Life, I love seeing the whales there."

One fact about the blue whale came to mind, and before he thought about what he was saying, Erik blurted out, "Did you know the blue whale has the largest penis of any mammal on Earth?"

Charles coughed, looking Erik up and down for a moment. "I'm sure I knew that at one point in time," he admitted, "although it's been a while since I had a chance to do any... field work. Data analysis. Um... species study. Most of my degrees are more in theoretical sciences, you know, computational models, that sort of thing."

Drat. _Field work_ had sounded promising, but computational models... unless Charles was trying to find the most oblique possible way to say _do u cyber?_ , he wasn't biting at Erik's line. Probably just as well, as it was a horrible line. Maybe Erik could come up with something better later on.

 _Or maybe I should think about the tour,_ he thought. The shortest of the students was creeping closer and closer to the boundary at the edge of the rainforest exhibit, and amusingly enough, the tallest of the students was right behind her.

"Peter, look!" the shorter one called out, one hand flying forward, pointing toward something-- an object on their worksheet, no doubt-- and Erik braced himself for the inevitable alarm. Even this early in the day, he'd heard it no fewer than four times. Every time the alarm went out, security guards would materialize out of nowhere, warning people not to get too close to the exhibits. Erik was never entirely sure what to be more irritated with-- the alarms, for being too sensitive, or the people, for needing more than one stern talking-to in order to stop setting the damned things off in the first place.

The last thing Erik wanted was for his tour group to attract the wrong sort of attention from the guards. He was prepared to intervene, eyes darting around to head security off if at all possible. But-- to his surprise-- nothing happened.

Nothing at all.

He stared at the tiny mutant, who was standing up on tiptoe now, leaning over even further to get a better look at whatever she'd found. One of her hands was hovering over the display in front of the rainforest's border, just above one of the sections explaining-- oh, something like leaf shapes, Erik guessed. She didn't make contact with it, though, and even though she was now pointing wildly, she still wasn't setting off any alarms.

"Astonishing," Erik murmured to himself.

"What was that?"

Erik turned to look at Charles again, and was just starting to say, "Your student there must be one of the most nimble youngsters I've ever seen, what with not setting off any of the proximity alerts"-- but he only got as far as "Your student" before there was a squeak, and a worried voice calling out, "Katya!", and Charles sucked in a breath, frowning hard for an instant and then starting to make his way through the crowd.

It was a more polite crowd today than usual; they stepped aside immediately to make room for Charles and his wheelchair. Erik was much more accustomed to New Yorkers who'd always made a point of claiming as much space for themselves as humanly possible; he'd expected Charles to have to roll over some toes. (If he were being honest with himself, he'd been _hoping_ for that, especially if the toes belonged to particularly rude humans.)

But Erik followed quickly behind Charles, hoping that Katya-- _no, that wasn't it, I thought she introduced herself as Kitty_ \-- hadn't somehow fallen _into_ the rainforest. Surely that would have set off the proximity sensors...

"I'm okay!" Kitty was already on her feet, waving a hand above her head. The mutant by her side-- Peter, that was his name-- had an arm around her waist, and Ororo was by their sides as well, looking worried and casting glances around at the crowd.

"It's all right," Charles said, and both Peter and Ororo relaxed. Kitty beamed at Charles and handed over her worksheet.

"How did we do?" Kitty asked. She turned that radiant smile on Peter, who shuffled his feet a bit and smiled back. "We teamed up. Is that okay?"

"Teamwork is always okay, so long as everyone pulls his or her own weight," Charles said, smiling back.

"I was not lifting her," Peter said immediately.

"I know, Peter."

"Although--" Peter looked at Erik, his eyebrows going up hopefully. "I could. If I needed to."

"Not now, Peter," Charles said. "Please."

Peter looked crestfallen, and Erik had to admit he was a bit disappointed, too. He'd so hoped for a demonstration of Peter's ability. Enhanced strength? It would have been lovely to find out.

On the other hand, he wasn't entirely sure that lifting Kitty would require enhanced strength, even for a student Peter's age.

"But Professor--"

"I know, Peter, but later."

"All right," Peter said. Kitty took his hand, and that brightened him up again; the two of them vanished into the crowd of children, which was now forming back up around Erik and Charles.

"Well, then," Charles said to Erik. "Shall we move along?"


	4. Hall of Human Origins

[[Transcript of text messages here.](http://archiveofourown.org/works/946904/chapters/1849238)]

* * *

**Audioguide: Exhibit 7025B -- _Xavieris Mutandis_ , mating habits**

[[Transcription of audioguide Exhibit 7025B here.](http://archiveofourown.org/works/946817/chapters/1849037) Download Exhibit 7025B [here](http://reena.parakaproductions.com/coverart/AMNH%20AU/Audio%20Excerpts/Field%20Trip%20Excerpts%20-%20Exhibit%207025B.mp3). (00:00:51, 795 KB)]

* * *

They'd done a full circuit of the Hall of Human Origins. Erik, of course, had never liked the name, but he contented himself with the knowledge that someday museums the world over would have sections devoted to the Hall of _Mutant_ Origins. (He also contented himself with the knowledge that pushing harder on the title of this particular permanent exhibit would forever get him branded a lunatic by the museum board of directors, which was probably a bad idea.)

As the students and Charles gathered up, Erik swept his arm back toward the displays of primitive human ancestors. " _Homo ergaster_ , _Homo erectus_ , Neanderthals, and Cro-Magnons: some of the earliest examples of life forms that evolved into modern... man."

Charles raised an eyebrow at Erik's pause, and-- was that a smile Erik saw playing around Charles's lips? Or was that wishful thinking on his part? He'd been paying enough attention to Charles's lips today that he was beginning to believe he'd be able to pick out the earliest stages of a smile there, but the raised eyebrow might belie the amusement factor.

"We ourselves share many traits with those species who came before us," Erik said-- and a sharp intake of breath from the back of the group made him seek out Jean's gaze. Jean gave him a tiny smile, but then turned her attention to Charles. Charles pursed his lips for a moment but shook his head.

_I wonder if she's figured out that I'm a mutant,_ Erik thought. It wasn't as if he made a secret of it; his website biography even mentioned it, near the end. He gave her an encouraging nod and went on.

"The most compelling question I've found, here in the Hall of... Human... Origins--" Erik caught Jean's eye again as he paused around the word 'Human'-- "is the question of why all these various species ceased to be, over time. Cro-Magnon, _Homo Heidelbergensis_ , _Homo Neanderthalensis_ , _Homo Sapiens_... where one rises, another disappears."

"That certainly isn't _always_ true," Charles cut in, just when Erik began to believe he was making a point... at least to a few of the mutants in the group. Jean was still watching Erik with slightly widened eyes, Ororo was biting her lower lip, Angel was watching avidly, and even Alex was paying more attention than he had been. "Always bear in mind that evolution isn't a case of here one day, gone the next. For years, _homo neanderthalensis_ lived in harmony with _homo sapiens_ \-- just this past March, the first evidence of actual interbreeding was found. Can anyone recall more details about that discovery?"

One of the young mutants-- a brown-haired boy with glasses-- raised his hand. "They found the remains in Italy," he offered.

"Very good, Hank! Italy, yes, the Monti Lessini region, to be precise." Charles smiled, and then turned that smile up at Erik, which was really unfair of him, Erik thought. It was hard to be wildly attracted to someone at the same time as one wanted to take his ridiculous point about neanderthals and early humans and throw it into the nearest rubbish bin. "Erik, I'm sure you read about the discovery. Can you help me put it into perspective for the students?"

"Perspective," Erik mused. "As it happens, for most of known history, the idea that _homo neanderthalensis_ and _homo sapiens_ might have lived peacefully was considered a pipe dream. Most scholars agreed that _homo neanderthalensis_ looked on his more evolved cousin as an aberration, a harmful mutation. And although early on, _homo neanderthalensis_ greatly outnumbered _homo sapiens_ , the fact that _homo sapiens_ had more-- shall we say, tools-- with which to work led to a decided advantage between the two species. You can see the same thing now, with--"

Charles sighed and leaned his head against his hand, halting Erik in his tracks. "I beg your pardon," Erik said icily, "was I boring you? It was your question, after all."

"What? Oh-- yes," Charles said, looking up slightly. His hand was still firmly against the side of his face, two of his fingertips pressed to his temple. "To make a long history of evolution short," he added, "for all that academia once believed that _homo neanderthalensis_ and _homo sapiens_ could never have lived together, we now know differently. Peace was not only an option for our ancestors, it was their preferred state, at least until whatever happened that caused the Neanderthals' extinction. Quite a few people now believe that interbreeding-- absorption-- put an end to the Neanderthals, but does anyone recall any of the other theories on their extinction?"

"Competition with _homo sapiens_ ," Angel piped up. "They lost."

Erik was beginning to like her. He nodded approvingly, and Angel gave him a little smile.

"But not just that," added another mutant, this one a girl who was wearing long gloves-- even on a warm summer's day. What was her name? Marie, that was it. "There was another theory--" She nudged the mutant beside her, carefully-- Erik noticed that she was making sure only to touch him where he was clothed.

But the other mutant immediately piped up. "Climate change," he squeaked. The boy's voice hadn't quite changed yet; Erik stifled the urge to smile. He certainly remembered those days. "Neanderthals were more suited to a cold climate--" and the young mutant exchanged smiles with Charles-- "and when the Earth got warmer, they were driven to extinction because the vegetation changed, and they had a harder time hunting, too."

"Excellent, Bobby. Ten points for Hufflepuff." Charles grinned again. "More theories? Anyone?"

"A big volcano," Alex called out from the back. "A _really_ big volcano, it went BOOM, and everyone went _nooooo_ , and then the Neanderthals died!"

Charles hesitated, and so Erik had time to tell Alex, "Nicely demonstrative," which made Alex bounce a little. Charles looked odd somehow-- concerned, perhaps?-- and simply nodded. Erik went on, "That is one of the theories, yes. In fact, there were _two_ volcanic super-eruptions, the one you're talking about as well as one several thousand years later."

"BOOM!" Alex added. The mutant beside him-- Armando, Erik thought-- wrapped an arm around his shoulders and hugged him. Alex looked up at Armando and smiled hugely at him-- oh, how sweet. Erik wondered if it was obvious to everyone else that the two of them had mutual crushes. Surely Charles had noticed-- and as Erik turned back to Charles, he noticed Charles relaxing a little at the two young mutants' gesture.

Better and better. Young, good-looking, head of a school for mutants, open to the idea of relationships between men...

_Stop that,_ Erik reminded himself. _He also thinks peace is the 'preferred state'._ Very well, then; the man had _some_ flaws. For all Erik knew, he also chewed with his mouth open.


	5. Hall of North American Birds

[[Transcript of text messages here.](http://archiveofourown.org/works/946904/chapters/1849268)]

* * *

**Audioguide: Exhibit 7025A -- _Lehnsheris Mutandis_ , mating habits**

[[Transcription of audioguide Exhibit 7025A here.](http://archiveofourown.org/works/946817/chapters/1849041) Download Exhibit 7025A [here](http://reena.parakaproductions.com/coverart/AMNH%20AU/Audio%20Excerpts/Field%20Trip%20Excerpts%20-%20Exhibit%207025A.mp3). (00:00:49, 772 KB)]

* * *

It was fascinating seeing which students responded to which exhibit. Some of them, like Kitty, had been partial to the Hall of Biodiversity; Peter, meanwhile, had gotten far more excited by the dinosaurs, particularly the armor-plated ankylosaurus. Kurt had actually taken his attention off his wristwatch to exclaim excitedly over the chameleon exhibit-- although he'd quickly gone back to fiddling with his wristwatch when Armando had patted him encouragingly on the back. Others had been intrigued by the Hall of African Mammals, and almost all of them had enjoyed the planetarium.

For the Hall of North American Birds, Angel and Warren had been first to explore the different dioramas, ooh-ing and ahh-ing at the depictions of birds in flight. Angel made her way around the room, while Warren pointed out the different types of feathers to anyone who would listen.

"Scott! Look, up top, those are the marginal coverts. And then the little ones at the tip are the alulas. In the middle, there's the primary coverts and the secondary coverts..."

"Not bad," Scott said, patting Warren's shoulder. Warren looked up at him and rolled his eyes.

"Not _bad_ ," Warren snorted. "I bet you know plenty about, like, eyeballs and stuff."

"We all pay more attention to what's relevant," Scott agreed. Erik pondered that. Eyeballs were relevant to Scott? He was wearing those glasses...

"I wish _I_ had wings," Sean mumbled. Erik perked up, tuning in; was that a clue to Sean's mutation? He didn't have wings, so what _did_ he have?

Hank joined him, adjusting his glasses. "You know, I had some ideas about that--"

"Oh, no. No, no, no." Sean shook his head. "The last time you said that I ended up face-down in the shrubbery. No, thank you!"

"Maybe all he needs is a push," Erik murmured to himself. Or he'd thought he was talking to himself; Charles came up from seemingly nowhere, parking himself at Erik's side.

"What was that?"

"Two of your students contemplating wings," Erik said, nodding to Sean and Hank. "Apparently Hank's had ideas."

"Oh, dear," Charles muttered, rubbing at his face with both hands.

It was remarkably appealing, somehow, seeing Charles that chagrined. Erik added, "And I thought to myself, perhaps what Sean needs is a good push."

Charles looked up at him, frowning. Erik shrugged.

"It's the sort of thing that helped me when I was his age."

"Ah. So not a literal push?"

"Well, Sean said something about landing in the shrubbery."

"Did he." Charles was wide-eyed now. "I'm sure he was speaking metaphorically."

"I'm sure he was," Erik said. _I'm sure he wasn't_ , he thought. Charles frowned again.

"Erik... there's something... I wonder if you've noticed, about my students..."

"Yes?" Erik turned fully to face Charles, giving Charles his complete attention. "That they're--"

"--exceptional," Charles interrupted. "One might say 'gifted'."

"One _does_ say that. On all the official literature." Erik shot Charles an amused look. "I suspect there's a better word for it."

"There is." Charles cast a quick glance around them. "But--"

"Dude, somebody's _molting_ ," someone laughed. Both Erik and Charles turned to see who'd spoken-- it wasn't one of the XIGS students. Instead, it was a teenager in pants so tight they threatened to restrict bloodflow, though clearly not enough.

Charles sucked in a breath. Erik looked from the teenager to Charles and back again. The teenager was holding a large white feather which was as long as his forearm, and clearly had only recently come off a bird of some kind. There was no possible way it could have come from any of the birds in this exhibit; none of them had feathers that size and color, and on top of that, it was an exhibit full of dioramas. The birds were behind glass.

"Caw! Caw!" the teenager said. His friends-- also in remarkably tight pants, as well as artfully-draped scarves and thin sweaters-- laughed with him. "I wonder if--"

"I wonder if you wouldn't mind giving that to me," Charles said, moving over to the three teenagers. Erik joined him, fully expecting them to cause a scene, but instead, their expressions were all muted, their faces slack. Woodenly, the teenager holding the feather handed it over to Charles. None of the three said anything more, and they filed out of the Hall of North American Birds, one after another.

Charles looked over the rest of the room, the feather held in his lap. He frowned again, lifting two fingers to his temple, and although Erik couldn't say how, something about the room's mood changed. No one was looking over at Charles and Erik; no one was paying any more attention to Charles's students than was necessary.

And one student in particular was bright red and looked as though he were near tears. Erik headed to him, kneeling down in front of him. Charles was by his side in moments, easily navigating through the crowd-- or rather, the crowd parted to let him come through.

"Warren?" Erik asked softly. "Are you all right?"

Warren nodded to the first question, and looked between Erik and Charles when Erik asked the second. Finally, he nodded again.

Erik looked Warren over. His t-shirt was huge, baggy, which wasn't in keeping with current style. Something on Warren's back twitched, and Erik could make out the outline now, a curve at the top, as though something large and teardrop-shaped were folded up beneath his shirt. And Warren knew so much about feathers and wing anatomy...

"Warren," Erik said, gently, as much as was possible for him. "Was that yours?"

A third nod. Warren looked down at the floor and scuffed his feet. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I didn't mean to ruin the field trip."

"Oh, Warren, you've done nothing of the kind," Charles said softly. "You did nothing wrong at all."

"You certainly didn't," Erik agreed, reaching out and offering Warren his hand. Warren looked to Charles again, as if for permission, but when Charles smiled, Warren took Erik's hand and squeezed it. Erik squeezed back. "Humans can be very rude when the unexpected and marvelous occurs. You're gifted, and that's nothing to hide or be ashamed of."

"Though a young man with a five-foot wingspan does take up rather more than the usual share of a museum hallway, or a subway car." Charles smiled at Warren.

Warren reached out and took his feather, and this time he didn't look for Charles's permission before turning back to Erik. "You can have this," he said, holding out the feather. When Erik took it, Warren immediately ran off, catching up to Hank and the others, getting gentle pats on the arms and shoulders-- not the back, Erik saw, now that he was looking-- from his friends.

Erik hadn't even had time to thank Warren for the gift. He smiled at the feather in his hands.

"It's beautiful," he said. He looked at Charles. "I'm sorry I won't have the opportunity to see him in flight. He _can_ fly, I assume?"

"Oh, yes." Charles leaned slightly against the low back of his chair. "As does Angel-- hers are more dragonfly than bird, though."

"She didn't seem quite as taken with the exhibit as Warren did." But Erik smiled anyway. "For me, it's--"

"Metallokinesis." Charles looked a bit sheepish. "One of my students forwarded me a link to your bio after we got here." He patted his thigh. "Smartphones. Everyone has them now, even relative Luddites like myself. At least mine's on vibrate. I should thank you for taking the time for this tour-- of course, as soon as I saw the web page on you, I realized you're not a tour guide at all. We're all quite lucky you decided to take us on anyway."

"I don't mind," Erik said, and all in all, he truly didn't. "Though if you'd been from any other school, I would have deleted your voice mail right away."

"Leaving my students with no guide at all! Not very kind of you." Charles shook his head, but he was still smiling. "Truthfully, I don't blame you. What a terrible voice mail system. I imagine if you try forwarding voice mail on, you might cause the museum to shut down altogether for a tornado drill or somesuch."

"It's a real risk," Erik agreed. "I've heard of you, you know... the founder of the Xavier Institute, of course I knew about you. But I hadn't heard anything confirmed about your ability. After today... I assume it's some form of telepathy?"

"More or less all forms." Charles bit his lower lip-- and just as quickly licked over the bite. Erik watched the pink tip of his tongue trail over the lush red curve of his lower lip, and nearly missed it when Charles said, "But I don't generally read minds without permission, and I certainly don't do-- what I did to the three rude young men there-- unless the welfare of my students is at stake."

"That's too bad," Erik said. "It's better than a two-by-four, if you ask me, and it certainly got the humans to quit misbehaving."

"Well." Charles laughed. "I like the idea of gentler forms of persuasion. When possible."

"Speaking of possible..."

"Yes?"

Erik could have asked whether Charles would allow him to come in and give a lecture at XIGS; he could have asked for a tour of the school grounds; he could have asked if the school ever had a talent show, and if it might need sponsors...

"Would it be possible for me to take you out to dinner sometime soon?" he asked, instead, and Charles's mouth dropped open, his eyes widening. "On a date," he clarified, "just the two of us."

"Oh, my," Charles breathed. Those gorgeous lips of his were curving into a smile, though. "I'm usually not this caught off-guard, but it's been taking all my attention, keeping people from noticing the children... I didn't have any to spare, to see if you were as interested in me as I was in you."

Erik grinned. "Then I'm glad I made my intentions clear."

"So am I." Charles reached out a hand, and Erik took it-- no handshake this time, this was a warm squeeze, a gesture that promised more when they weren't under the watchful eyes of more than a dozen young mutants. "Shall we say this Friday? Eight o'clock?"

"Let's say that," Erik agreed. "I should make sure you have my phone number. Or you could always call the tour-booking hotline again. It worked the first time."

"It really didn't," Charles laughed.

"It did," Erik said, his hold on Charles's hand warm and tight. "It got you exactly where you needed to be."


	6. School Group Check-In

[[Transcript of text messages here.](http://archiveofourown.org/works/946904/chapters/1849294)]

* * *

[[Transcript of audioguide "Upcoming Exhibitions" here](http://archiveofourown.org/works/946817/chapters/1849045). Download "Upcoming Exhibitions" [here](http://reena.parakaproductions.com/coverart/AMNH%20AU/Audio%20Excerpts/Field%20Trip%20Excerpts%20-%20Upcoming%20Exhibitions.mp3). (00:00:22, 354 KB)]

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [[podfic] Field Trip](https://archiveofourown.org/works/948637) by [helens78](https://archiveofourown.org/users/helens78/pseuds/helens78), [reena_jenkins](https://archiveofourown.org/users/reena_jenkins/pseuds/reena_jenkins)
  * [Team Summers Presents: The After Action Report](https://archiveofourown.org/works/950915) by [reena_jenkins](https://archiveofourown.org/users/reena_jenkins/pseuds/reena_jenkins)
  * [[art] Field Trip](https://archiveofourown.org/works/951088) by [reena_jenkins](https://archiveofourown.org/users/reena_jenkins/pseuds/reena_jenkins)




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